Beautiful hair, beautiful skin, brilliant eyes, good- and healthy-looking teeth are things we all wish for. Wind and weather and age change our looks; but we can do a lot ourselves in order to improve and beautify our reflection in the mirror.

A new book reveals that the famous composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, suffered from lead poisoning when he died. The discovery originates from a lock of his hair that has been analysed. The authors link the alleged lead poisoning with Beethoven's deafness.

The frivolous denigration of antioxidants continues: The reports are based on generalizations leading to nonsense. The study in The Lancet did not show that antioxidants increase mortality, nor that they do not prevent cancer.